Sourcing Mustard Seed Meal from China

Mustard seed meal duty and controls

Heading 2306 covers solid residues from extracting vegetable or microbial fats or oils, whether ground or pelleted, excluding the separately classified soybean and groundnut residues. For unblended mustard seed oil-extraction residues, check the residual line 2306 90 90 00. The table shows different product forms under the same commodity line. For the wider heading, see our rapeseed meal guide.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, the supplied lines carry 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions recorded. The mustard meal candidate line carries organic import and waste import controls, plus an export waste control. Organic importers must be based and certified in the UK. For organic shipments from China, confirm the consignment inspection certificate and exporter recognition with your control body and customs broker.

Waste controls apply only where the material is waste. For imports into England under notification controls, the Chinese exporter must apply to the competent authority in the country of dispatch for consent. Ask your customs broker to confirm waste status and the applicable import or subsequent export requirements. Confirm the commodity code using seed identity, extraction method, composition and intended use.

Specify the mustard seed and extraction process

Name the mustard seed species and agree whether you need expeller cake, ground cake, solvent-extracted meal or pellets. Request the processing description and a declaration of any blending or added ingredients. Make clear that you are buying the residue after oil extraction; a description such as mustard powder does not identify that process.

Agree crude protein, residual oil, fibre, moisture, ash and particle size, together with packaging and storage conditions. Ask the laboratory and feed formulator to define suitable checks for glucosinolates and volatile mustard oil for the intended animals. Request batch-specific results rather than a general product sheet.

For feed use, confirm with the relevant authority whether feed-business registration is required and which feed naming, statutory declaration and undesirable substance requirements apply to the material. Agree contaminant testing with the laboratory, including aflatoxins and heavy metals. Use testing and certification support to prepare the sampling brief.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order, not a quote: 12 tonnes of bagged mustard seed meal under 2306 90 90 00, invoiced at £3,500 free on board, with £2,680 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,180. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,180, so it is £1,236. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step. This assumes the goods are standard-rated for VAT. Most food for human consumption is zero-rated, and animal feed can be too, in which case no import VAT is due, so check the rate for your product in HMRC's VAT Notice 701/14.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match the seed species, extraction process and physical form to the contract; investigate undeclared meal blends, excess husk or grit.

Analysis: independently sample the shipment and compare protein, oil, moisture, fibre, ash and agreed mustard-specific results with the approved specification.

Arrival condition: inspect for warm bags, mould, insects, caking, torn liners and water damage; keep affected material separate while investigating.

Documents: match batch references across bags, analysis reports and shipping documents; check feed declarations and resolve organic paperwork before dispatch.

What goes wrong

An approved sample can differ from the shipped lot in seed identity, extraction method or blending. Protein and residual oil then miss the specification, while mustard-specific analysis may be absent. Require approval of any process or ingredient change and compare independently collected shipment samples with the retained approved sample.

Damp meal can cake, develop mould or heat during transit. Missing organic documents or unresolved waste status can also disrupt clearance. Agree loading condition, packaging and document checks, then compare arrival findings with loading evidence. Our quality inspection guide explains how to brief an independent inspection.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.